Information About Peter Carel Pauwels

Memories

Memories are based on documents, family lore or personal experiences. They give more information about a person, but are not necessarilly complete or correct.

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From the personell record of P.C. Pauwels at the Ministry of Colony East-Indies civil servants:

• January 10, 1927-29. Made available to the Governor General of the Dutch East Indies in the residence Westerdepartment of Borneo. Appointed administrative officer of the Domestic Government (“BB”). Wage fl. 400 per month.
• Then appointed as aspiring inspector of the BB.
• 1932 Appointed controller 1st class of the BB with stipulation that he will remain in Amoentai (in the Uloe Songai department, residence Southern and Eastern Division of Borneo).
• 1934: Nine months leave to Europe for seven years of service granted with the stipulation that he will resign his employment on July 16, 1934.
• 1936: Appointed controller BB and placed in the subdivision Taloe, West Sumatra, residence Padang Lower Lands.
• January 13, 1938: Posted in the province of East Java as an assistant resident, first in Surabaya and later in Toelong Agoeng, residence Kediri.
• According to list of deceased BB officials: Deceased in Tjimahi on February 16, 1946, shot dead from an ambush.

From the life story of Just O'Breen:

• During a leave of absence with Janneke and Just in 1937 at the Anai-Kloof, Lake of Manindjau, Lake Singkarak, Padang Panjang, For de Kock, the Karuwengat, Padang.
• Later in August, Peter made his car available to Just and later Janneke from Padang to Padang Sidempuan to drive at their transfer.
• Peter also introduced Just (by letter) to the head of the local government in Padangsidempuan.
• October 1938 Peter was transferred with family to Surabaya (Java). For the Poeasa holiday Peter and Elly had rented a house in Lawang, where Omi, Just and Janneke visited them. Omi stayed a few times with Elly in Surabaya.

The following information comes from the website of the war graves foundation, which also contains additional details.

[Peter Pauwels’] widow wrote a letter to friends 2 days after his death, stating: “Saturday morning, Feb. 16. he died. They were on target practice outside Tjimahi, actually still on the way, were fired upon by extremists, went to it and Peet got a shot close to the heart, so that he died almost instantly. According to the doctor he has lived at most another ½ minute and fellow his soldiers say that he said for a moment:‘I’ve been hit’ and fell down. Another ensign and 3 soldiers died with him.”